The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-09

tuelr SoCr6b ana PERSONAL COuVlcIlOu,
who utter no public word in its favor.
But let us interrogate the Bible as a
book which needs to conceal no secrets,
and every one of whose doctrines may
be safely uncovered in the open day.
Select the one passage above all others
which is supposed to require men to be-
lieve in separation without remedy in
the immortal future. "And these shall
go away into everlasting punishment,
but the righteous into life eternal"
Matt. XIV. 46.
All careful students of the Bible have
noted the limited duration, in few
particular cases, of what is described as
everlasting" The hills and noun
tains, priesthoods, covenants, and land
ed titles, are called Everlasting" but
with plain limit to the time intended.
But this consideration alone availeth
not in the face of the antithesis of this
ominous passage. Surely" say the
weeping and doubtful, " everlasting
punishment is set over against eternal
life in such way that it is fair and
rational conclusion that the misery Of
the wicked will last as long as the hap
piness of the righteous" This would
be SO with one proviso. And the more
hopeful Christians would be compelled
to relinquish their merciful and de-
lightful anticipations in the face of this
language, with one proviso. That
proviso is this: That it can be shown
that this denunciation of our Lord
leaves the wicked in hell and the right
eous in heaven, in future state of be-
ing. If this fearful language was ap-
piled to the good and bad while still in
the flesh, the good and bad would still
have an opportunity to change places.
Nothing is sure but death while we are
on this side of it. While the lamp holds
out to burn, etc. The saint may fall,
or the sinner rise and go to bis Father,
while breath remains and the heart |
beats.
But Jesus does not pronounce upon
the outcomes Of Immortality in the great |
sermon, of which this frightful antith-
esis is the concluding words. Neither
the doctrine nor the final conditions of |
Immortality are SO much as named in
either of the two chapters which form
the body of this metaphorical and daz-
zlipg discourse. No one can compre-
hend the profound Significance of the
parable of the sheep and goats, ard the
separations at the end of it, except |
they analyze the vslsele ser4aen. of our
Lord in the place. This famous para
BILE is the illustration of what goes be-
fore it-a graphic and intelligent illus
tration of the doctrines and prophecies !
of the great discourse itself.
Well, what are the doctrines and pro-
phecies of the Oath and 25th chapters
of Matthew? They are the doctrines
and prophecies of a political and religious
revolution, and the establishment OF the |
kingdom of heaven as the authoritative
substitute of what passed away. The
coming of the kingdom of heaven with
the power of self-propagation and great |
glory, was the theme on the Saviour's |
lips. 1t is the hieroglyphic struggle of
Christianity to get itself planted. 1t is
a prophetic animation of the Messiah's
disciples, whose hopes and courage
were about to go down under the clouds
of the crucifxion. But-destruction
and separation-radical, wide and per
manent separation, must precede the |
planting of the kingdom.
The Christians by themselves, and |
Jews, Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes |
and all the enemies of the new kingdom |
by themselves; the one ON the right |
hand and the other on the left. Like |
weeds and corn, wheat and tares, wolves
and sheep, there could be no success
without division. Both mad grown to-
gether-both were together, all as Jews,
when our Lord uttered these prophecies.
But the division should come like cleft |
in the rock. Two at the well-two on
the housetop-two in the field, should
suddenly divide as if angels had parted
them asunder. Among all nations where
the kingdom had been preached the
division should be radical and perpetual
First, political revolution in Judea-
the religious separation everywhere
and then the kingdom was so planted
that the gates of hell could not prevail
against it. What dex-ingers are all
these parallels! "Then shall the king
dom of heaven be likened unto ten vir-
gins. For the kingdom of heaven is
as man travelling into far country"
-"Then the king shall say unto them
on his right hand. d."-"And the king
shall answer and say unto them" Let
us not make the expOsitory blunder to
suppose that all these things should oc-
cur at the end of our Lords kingdom.
He is describing the dramatic affinities
and separations at its beginning and
establishment as an organized power
among the nations, while he tells US of